Gear Guide 2009: The North Face Elephant’s Foot Review

This retro-inspired bag is tough and simple.

Review by: Steve Howe

Share

Share:

Share:

The North Face Elephant's Foot (www.sethhughes.com)

Minimalist Bargain
Here’s old-school ultralight: This armpit-length sleeping bag reprises a half-length sack once used by European alpinists for minimalist bivy nights. The synthetic-fill bag is meant to be used in conjunction with a puffy jacket, and is designed for the abuse of real-world bivies. The waterproof/breathable cover is seam-taped for total weatherproofing, and the seat and footbox are reinforced so you can wear boots inside, or throw it down padless on a slab of rock.

Suspenders and a perimeter drawstring keep the bag pulled up around your torso and closed. Our tester found it true to its rating when used in combination with a down sweater. He added, "It’s so light and packable, I also used it to warm up on winter lunch breaks and to augment an ultralight bag." Just remember: An old-school bivy isn’t supposed to be fun. $129; 1 lb. 2 oz.; 40°F

Best prize ever: You could win ALL 13 of our 2015 Editors' Choice Award-winning products. That includes an Osprey Packs, a NEMO Equipment sleeping bag, a Big Agnes tent, a Sea to Summit - Outdoor Gear X-Pot, La Sportiva shoes, and a Snow Peak stove. And we still have 7 more products to announce next week! Enter early and often! http://goo.gl/RGcG4o #EC2015

#EC2015 Gold award alert: When the Snow Peak GigaPower stove came out in 1999, we gave it an Editors' Choice award. All this time later, it's still tiny, powerful, and affordable, and get this: it costs even less. See why it's our latest #EC2015 winner.
Read the review: http://bit.ly/1DAHv8A
Watch video: http://bit.ly/1LSXHWx
Enter to win one, along with the rest of this year's EC gear: http://goo.gl/RGcG4o